Track Prep & Recommendations Thread

[fuhrius]

It's more about half-assing it. If you just throw harnesses in your car with some janky attachments, you're going to do yourself more harm than good in an accident. Additional safety when done correctly is always a good thing, but additional safety when partially implemented could kill you.

Bottom line is unless you're going to put in a roll bar, buy neck restraints and properly run your anti-sub belt, you're better off sticking with the stock 3-point seat belt from a safety perspective.

a good alternative is: good rollbar, 4 pt schroth ASM (anti-sumbarine) harness and a HANS. that setup can be run effectively with the stock seat and maintains the benefits of the factory airbags as well. then, when you're ready, add a fixed-back seat that has proper accommodation for 6-pt and you can add the subs to the 4-pt schroth belt.

Sponsored

 

[mattlqx]

[MENTION=21085]Sprintamx[/MENTION] nailed pretty much all of it.

To add a little, when I go to the track, I bring:

- A toolbox with basic hand-tools. (Screwdrivers, pliers, zipties, etc.)
- A folding chair.
- Some water.
- Sunscreen!! (Remember to reapply!)
- Tire pressure gauge.
- Jumper box with air pump for adding air to tires. Something like this. The handiest $80 you'll ever spend!
- Re-usable track numbers. I prefer magnetic.
- Painter's tape. You can alternatively make numbers with it, but also useful for covering up your plate or making an X to note something for a session.
- If the track is far enough away, a jack and jackstands. You never know what you might need to lift the car for. Brakes and/or tires are the most likely though.

That's basically it aside from my whole GoPro/iPhone/Harry's setup which is a whole other ball of wax of mounts, cables and devices.

Don't eat spicy food the day before (at least it's not a good idea for me) and drink lots of water the day before. That's when it can actually make a difference in your system. If you pound 2 bottles of water an hour before you go on track, you'll only need to pee and won't get much in the way of hydration.

Don't bring the attitude that you need to pass people to have fun. I have just as much fun pointing people by when they fly up on me and learning a thing or two while I try to keep up. There will almost always be at least one person out there more skilled than you. Keep your ego in check and be friendly. It's not a race. You are not racing. Improvement is measured in inches and seconds, not miles and minutes.

Prepare for the costs. You have entry fees, perhaps track insurance fees, fuel cost to get to the track if it's not super close, fuel cost once you're on the track, tire wear, oil changes, brake wear, perhaps vacation time. It all adds up.

If it's 2-day event, prepare to be super exhausted on Monday. Prepare to get up way, way early the day of. This is not a hobby for late risers.

 

[mattlqx]

a good alternative is: good rollbar, 4 pt schroth ASM (anti-sumbarine) harness and a HANS. that setup can be run effectively with the stock seat and maintains the benefits of the factory airbags as well. then, when you're ready, add a fixed-back seat that has proper accommodation for 6-pt and you can add the subs to the 4-pt schroth belt.

Sure, the rollbar is the major cost though and a tough pill for most to swallow, especially factoring in the loss of the rear seats. That drives people to do all sorts of crazy things to get a harness installed and down the slippery slope. I'm also personally against 4-points, whether they say anti-sub or not. Maybe that's irrational on my part, but I just need that piece of mind of something between my legs. (giggity)

 

[krt22]

I hear this sentiment all the time and I find it curious. The suggestion seems to be that more experienced drivers need safety equipment because they're going faster..and less experienced drivers don't need safety equipment because they're going slower.
I think that's BS.

Agreed, this line of reasoning also completely ignores the fact you are sharing the track with others. You can be very cautious and in control of yourself, can't do much if someone else makes a mental error and takes you out. I was rear-ended by a NASA instructor who got a little over-zealous on an outlap. The car was damaged enough I didn't feel comfortable rebuilding it for track use so I ended up selling it

 

[fuhrius]

Sure, the rollbar is the major cost though and a tough pill for most to swallow, especially factoring in the loss of the rear seats. That drives people to do all sorts of crazy things to get a harness installed and down the slippery slope.

I'm also personally against 4-points, whether they say anti-sub or not. Maybe that's irrational on my part, but I just need that piece of mind of something between my legs. (giggity)

yes, as it turns out, safety actually costs money.
it's money well spent though.

a 4pt asm on the stock seat is a better alternative to trying to jerryrig a 6pt on them. once you go to a fixed-back seat and proper belt mounting locations, 6pt is superior.

I prefer a 6pt and a fixed-back seat myself...but you might want to catch up on what schroth is doing with their 4pt asm's. They actually do testing on them...which comes in handy when debating efficacy.

 

[AMpowerJ]

'poor man's' might not be the best description as the auto-blip costs money and learning to do it yourself doesn't cost anything.

It's the poor man's answer to not having a factory engineered system.

 

[Sprintamx]

To the points about harnesses and neck restraints, I do not disagree that from a safety perspective they are preferred and are beneficial. And I also agree that a high speed environment always presents risks. But, this is a "first time at the track" thread. And let's please keep that in perspective.

I will restate my position that harnesses and bars and a HANS are not necessary for a first event. Safety systems must be designed and implemented in an integrated fashion. The OE seats are designed to work with the OE 3-point hip and shoulder restraint and air bags. Yes, even the Recaro "track" seats are designed to work with these other systems. The same holds true for more robust restraint and protection systems: they need to be designed in an integrated and mutually supportive fashion. Harness bars do not support a 5/6 point restraint system. Four point harnesses are not allowed for many track events, and do not support ASM. Four point harnesses with ASM--like Schroth--are car specific, and are not sanctioned or authorized for any other car. And so on. A poorly designed safety system will do more harm than good in an incident.

Many (perhaps most) driving school or track day organizers will require cars to have equivalent restraint systems for the driver and passenger. I assume there will be an instructor in the car with the OP. If his track event organizer requires equal restraints, then he will have to gear up the entire car with a robust harness bar or 1/2 cage, properly mounted 5/6 point systems, etc. I just don't think that's necessary, or even advisable for a first track outing.

There are similar AND different dangers for a first time track event and your hundredth time. Please don't read my suggestions as stating that there are no risks, but I do not believe that installing a properly integrated cage and harness system for a first event is advisable.

 

[stshoo]

http://www.auto-blip.com

Poor man's rev matching when you downshift while using the brake. It basically takes away the need to heel/toe for downshifting so you can just focus on braking with your right foot and using the clutch with your left. I can heel & toe and I have ordered the SPR racing pedals to assist with that in this car but the Autoblip would just take one variable out of the equation. When most cars on the track now days probably have DCT, PDK, or some sort of automatic transmission, this is just a little equalizer. My last M3 had rev matching from the factory and I liked it.

might this not be part of the upcoming track key from ford? looking at the install, i don't see why ford wouldn't try to include this.

 

[superman07]

Very interested in options for restraining in the tech pack seats. I have Sciatica and the seats are a godsend as far as not causing any pain but they are an issue for me with stability. Even just on the back roads by my home they are a limiting factor. Even when I cinch the seat belt as much as possible I need to plant my left foot solidly to keep any composure. This is the first car with the power and G's to make me uncomfortable without a better seat. I need to see if I can try a recaro somewhere and see if it makes my left side numb after 5 min.

 

[fuhrius]

might this not be part of the upcoming track key from ford? looking at the install, i don't see why ford wouldn't try to include this.

I'm betting it will be. creating another long-lost art. lol.

 

[Sprintamx]

Very interested in options for restraining in the tech pack seats. I have Sciatica and the seats are a godsend as far as not causing any pain but they are an issue for me with stability. Even just on the back roads by my home they are a limiting factor. Even when I cinch the seat belt as much as possible I need to plant my left foot solidly to keep any composure. This is the first car with the power and G's to make me uncomfortable without a better seat. I need to see if I can try a recaro somewhere and see if it makes my left side numb after 5 min.

Can you be more specific about losing your "composure"? How far back do you typically set the seat? How far in / out do you set the steering wheel? Another way to look at this is to ask how much bend do you have in your elbows and knees when you're in "sport" driving mode?

 

[superman07]

its definitely better if I get far closer to the wheel / pedals however it is typically and issue with left to right movement and vis versa.

 

[Sprintamx]

Well, there's definitely a lateral advantage with higher hip and shoulder bolsters. Sometimes you can get a tighter belt cinch by moving the seat back a bit, tighten the belt as much as you can and then move the seat forward to your actual driving position.

 

[superman07]

ill try that thx.

 

[Trackaholic]

There is a device called a CGLock, that basically locks the buckle of your seat belt, allowing you to cinch the lap portion of the belt down. A friend gave me his when he moved to a harness, and it worked pretty well on my 350z. I have the track pack Recaro seats which have worked well enough that I haven't bothered installing it in the GT350 yet, but you might look into something like that.

-T

Sponsored